NAIROBI (Xinhua) --A national conference to brainstorm on innovative
ways to realize universal health coverage will be held next week
in the central Kenyan county of Nyeri.

The two-day
conference, whose theme is “Universal Health Coverage for
Sustainable Development,” will discuss incentives that are
required to ensure every Kenyan has access to affordable and
quality healthcare services amid a spike in both infectious and
lifestyle diseases.

“The conference will
focus on seeking transformative solutions to halt and reverse
the non-communicable disease epidemic at national level
contributing to the Big 4 agenda and Vision 2030,” conference
organizers said.

The ministry of
health has organized the second universal health conference to
be held this year in conjunction with the Vision 2030 Delivery
Board, industry, academia and civil society.

Ada Mwangola, social
pillar director at the Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, said
tackling the rising burden of non-communicable diseases is key
to sustaining Kenya’s economic transformation.

“Kenya’s vision to
become a middle-income economy with a high quality of life for
all by the year 2030 is threatened by the rise of
non-communicable diseases,” said Mwangola.

President Uhuru
Kenyatta has identified universal health coverage as part of his
Big Four Agenda, whose implementation will be key to securing a
good legacy once he completes his second and final term in
office in 2022.

The second universal
health coverage summit, to be attended by senior policymakers,
county executives, representatives from industry and civil
society, aims to revitalize debate on ways to avail quality
medical care to all citizens.

Mwangola said a
transformation in healthcare services is urgent to enhance
Kenya’s response to rising toll of preventable and terminal
ailments worsened by poverty, rapid urbanization and
environmental pollution.